Penn State men’s soccer (5-6-2, 2-3-2 Big Ten) lost to Indiana (5-3-5, 3-1-2 Big Ten) in Bloomington on Friday night.

The rematch of last year’s Big Ten Championship was a defensive affair in the first half. The Hoosiers opened up the game in the second half through aggressive interceptions in the midfield and smart passes in the box to hand Penn State its sixth loss of the season.

How It Happened

Indiana started the game putting immense pressure on the Nittany Lions, working their way through the left side to whip in a cross that challenged goalkeeper Andrew Cooke. Two minutes later, a through ball almost made its way through for an Indiana chance, but Mohamed Cisset shut it down. In the sixth minute, Cisset was substituted for midfielder Sean Bettenhausen due to an injury.

A Penn State counterattack culminated in sophomore midfielder Caden Grabfelder unleashing a curling shot that beat the keeper but banged the right post. No Nittany Lion reached the ball for a subsequent shot.

Through 20 minutes, both teams only mustered one shot each with little movement in each other’s halves.

Quick Indiana passes to both sides of the box required Penn State to make awkward defensive adjustments that left the center of the box wide open in the 25th minute. The Hoosiers crossed a ball in that was mishandled with a big touch, requiring Cooke to come off his line and clear the ball away from the box.

Thirty minutes into the first half, midfielder Michael Hewes won a free kick perfectly central to the goal outside of the 18-yard box. Grabfelder loomed over the ball and took the shot, but was rejected by the Hoosier wall.

Five minutes later, Indiana crept down the left side and directed a shot on goal. The ball snuck past Cooke, forcing Bettenhausen to clear it off the line for an Indiana corner kick. The corner was safely snatched by Cooke.

With eight minutes left in the first half, Indiana’s Clay Murador connected with a through ball and smacked a left-footed shot that beat Cooke and nestled in the bottom right corner of the net. The ruling on the field was “no goal” due to an offside call, leading to a VAR review. The review confirmed the “no goal” ruling, keeping the game scoreless.

Ten minutes into the second half, Murador let off an awkward shot that went off target for a Penn State goal kick. The Hoosiers, just like the first half, started the second half with a lot of pressure, but no crystal clear chances. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, failed to create any offensive flow.

The Hoosiers got their second shot on goal of the game in the 51st minute. While Cooke scooped the ball up comfortably, the momentum began to swing in Indiana’s favor.

On the subsequent Penn State possession, Aboubacar Camara charged up a shot that skidded just over the net, trying to jumpstart the Nittany Lions.

In the 63rd minute, an Indiana cross was kicked back by Jack Bonas, hitting the post. The Nittany Lions lucked out from a scarily close own goal. After the ball was cleared, the Hoosiers worked their way up the field once again, where a shot was launched from outside of the box that narrowly missed the net.

An Indiana throw-in three minutes later bounced around in the box before it was tapped into the net under Cooke. Yet again, the lead referee pointed to the VAR booth for review. However, the goal stood this time, positioning the Hoosiers with the lead with twenty-two minutes left to play.

A collapse on the Nittany Lion left side led to a pass to the top of the box for an Indiana chance. The ball sailed over the crossbar, but another chance directly after challenged Cooke. The Hoosiers intercepted the ball instantly and kept applying pressure upfield, suffocating the Penn State defense.

With 15 minutes left in the match, sophomore Freddie Bell visibly showed his frustration, resulting in a yellow card for dissent. The next series of passes found Indiana’s Charlie Heuer in the box, who buried the ball in the bottom left corner of the net, putting the Hoosiers up 2-0. Heuer registered his second goal of the night.

With six minutes left, Indiana’s Collins Oduro curled a ball that required Cooke’s full extension. After the save, Oduro got another shot off from outside of the box that flew completely over the net.

Camara and Bell did have shots in the last five minutes, but the game was all but finished. Indiana played keep away and ran the clock out to end the match.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions showcased a lack of creativity in the midfield. While the defensive nature of the game did not allow for much offensive movement, the Nittany Lions did not register a single shot on goal on the night. That stems from the midfield failing to make transition passes for proper counterattacking opportunities.
• Penn State did not match Indiana’s energy in terms of pressure. Even when both teams were struggling to find an offensive spark, Indiana remained persistent and opened the game up from there.
• The Nittany Lions have struggled in Big Ten play this season. This stands as their third conference loss, putting them below .500. With three games left to play, can Penn State heat up going into the Big Ten tournament?

What’s Next?

Penn State heads to the West Coast to battle Washington next Friday, October 18. The match will kick off at 10 p.m. and stream on BTN+.